Ever elusive and challenging, performance art has persistently sought to destabilize our habitual modes of thinking about art, social interaction, and the fundamental perceptions of ourselves.

This course will provide a thorough survey on the history of performance art from post-World War II up until today. We will trace its developments in Europe, North America and Japan, later turning to performance in Eastern Europe and China in the 80s and 90s. Further, the course will investigate the complexities of performance art and its relationship to the art institution and consider some of the theoretical implications of the performative act. Class discussions will be supplemented by videos and short readings. Three interconnected assignments will give participants the opportunity to practically and creatively reflect on the course content.

*Video conferences every Tuesday at 7pm Central European Time. Recordings available in case you miss a live session!

• Defining performance art•Performance art v. performing arts•Origins: a brief comment on the Ancient Greeks and Cynicism•Post WWII: mid-20th century developments in performance art in Europe, North America, and Japan•Major players/major artworks•Abstract Expressionism and its influence•Minimalism and its influence•Performance as a reaction to WWII•Performance nomenclature–'actions,' 'happenings,' etc.•Cinema and the advent of video technology•Duration and extremes in performance

Week 2: An Introduction to Performance Art Part II

•Challenging and expanding definitions of performance art•1980 and beyond: late 20th century and early 21st century developments in performance around the world•Major players/major artworks•Computer technology and its influence•Performance and its (continued) political dimensions•Performance art in Eastern Europe before and after the fall the Soviet Union•The rise of performance art from the underground to the mainstream in China•Performance and pop culture (issues of appropriation)•Postmodern tactics•Performance art in the museum

Week 3: Performance Art in, on, and around the Art Institution

• In the Streets versus in the gallery: the importance of context• Performance and the archive• Performance documents and records• Acquiring and purchasing performance artworks• Case studies of performance art and risk• The question of audience

Week 4: Theory and Performance

• Performance v. performativity• The performative object• Reperformance• The performativity of everyday life